Stop, backing, and tail light



Rah-16, 1932. E. c. ALBRIGHT STOP, BACKING, AND TAIL LIGHT Filed Feb.21, 1927 INVENTOR. EDWHRD C. flak/amt A TTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWARD C. ALBRIGHT, FINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO INDIANA LAMP CORPORATION, OFCONNERSVILLE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION STOP, BACKING, AND TAIL LIGHTApplication filed February 21, 1927. Serial No. 169,863.

, usual manner.

The object of the invention relates to a combination of the threefunctions of the lamp, i. e., as a tail light, a stop light and abacking light, wherein they are served from only two compartments andlamps.

One feature of the invention resides in the positioning of a clear glasslens for emitting light for backing purposes intermediate the stop andtail light lenses for permitting the same source of illumination tofunction as a backing light in conjunction with either the stop or taillight.

Another feature of the invention resides in the association of the lensfor the backing light with the tail light lens and providing a doublefilament bulb having a filament of relatively high candle power andanother filament of relatively low candle power, whereby the filament ofrelatively high candle power will provide illumination of high intensityfor the backing light, whereas the filament of lesser candle power willprovide a source of light sufficient for the tail light.

Other features reside in the arrangement and mounting of the lamp bulbswithin the housing as well as the reflecting member and the contactmembers associated therewith, as will be hereinafter more fully setforth and described.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from theaccompanying drawings and the following description and claim:

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the lamp. Fig. 2 is acentral vertical section therethrough. Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 2,showing a modified form. Fig. 4 is the same as Fig. 2, showing a secondmodified form. Fig. 5 is a detail of the connecting.

plug for controlling the illumination of the structure shown in Figs. 2and 3.

In the drawings there is shown a lamp casing 10 of the usual characterto be secured to the rear of a vehicle, there being provided a door rim11 secured thereto by the screws 12. The door rim is provided with threeopenings in which there is mounted a stop light lens 13, a backing-uplens 14 and a tail light lens 15. The lower part of the casing isprovided with an opening in which there is mounted a clear glass lens 16of the usual character for illuminating a license plate.

Mounted within the casing there is a lamp support and partition member17 rigidly secured to the rear of the casing and extending toward thefront thereof. The lower portion of said support has secured thereto acurved reflector 18 passing from the rear to the front and curvedupwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The reflector so arranged dividesthe lamp into a lower and upper compartment, the upper compartmenthaving associated therewith the stop lens 13, while the lowercompartment embraces the vertical fluted back-up lens 14 and the taillight lens 15.

Supported by the partition 17, so as to extend into the uppercompartment, there is a lamp bulb 19 for illuminating the stop lens 13,and in the lowercompartment there is a double filament bulb 20 having anupper filament 21 of relatively high candle power, and a lower filament22 of relatively low candle power.

In the rearwardly projecting socket 23 mounted on the rear surface ofthe casing, there is a connecting plug 24., said plug having an inwardlyextending contact bar 25 engaging in the contact button of the lamp 19.Said plug is also provided with a pair of contact bars 26 which are bentU-shaped at their inner ends to engage respectively the two contactbuttons of the lamp 20, which in turn are connected with the respectivefilaments 21 and 22, said contact bars being ar ranged as illustrated inFig. 5.

As will be obvious from the foregoing, upon switching on the tail lightswitch of the vehicle, the low intensity filament 22 will be illuminatedso that the tail light lens 15 will show the prescribed red light, whilethe backing-up lens 1 will be slightly but unnoticeably illuminated.Upon throwing the gears of the vehicle into rever e, electricalconnection may be made in any suitable manner so as to illuminate thehigh intensity filament 21 which will give sufficient illumination tocause a reflection of the light rays therefrom to be projected by thereflector 18 through the backing-up lens 14. This will give asufficiently white light in the rear of the vehicle to illuminate thearea in which it is backing. \Vhile this greater illumination, added tothat from the low intensity filament 22 will increase the light rayspassing through the tail lens 15, it will in no way detract from theillumination had through the lens 14. The lamp 1!) will be illuminatedin the usual manner by the operation of the brake or the clutch of thevehicle for giving a stop signal.

As illustrated in the modified form shown in Fig. 3, the specificreflector 18 is eliminated, the bracket 17 and the partition 18' beingsilvercd or polished to provide a refleeting surface. the remainingfeatures and elements of the lamp being the same as above described withrespect to Fig. 2.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 4, the casing 10 is provided with thestop lens 13 and the lenses 14 and 15 as above described.

In this structure the supporting bracket or partition 17" divides thelamp into two compartments, wherein the backing-up lens 14 is associatedwith the stop lens 13, while the tail light lens 15 is positioned alonein the lower con'ipartment. The lower compartment is provided with thelamp bulb 20 supported by :1 depending bracket member 21, and havingcontact with a single contact bar 26 for illuminating the tail lightwith low illumination in the usual manner. The lamp bulb 19 mounted inthe upper compartment has a filament of relatively high candle powerwhich will lluminate both the stop light lens and the backing-up lenssimultaneously with a relatively bright light, which may be furtheraugmented by the reflector 18. The bulb 19' is illuminated through themedium of the contact bar 25 when the operator puts the car intoreverse, or operates the brake or clutch. Thus whether the car isstopping or backing, there will be sufficient illumination in the uppercompartment to give a stop signal and at the same time give sufiicientillumination for backing purposes.

The invention claimed is:

In a combination back, stop and tail light the combination of acasinghaving an open face, a combined rim and lens construction for closingthe same including three superposed lenses, a partition in the casingforming a pair of superposed compartments and terminating adjacent theopen face substantially between the adjacentedges of the intermediatelens and an end lens, a bulb supported by the partition and positionedin one of the compartments at right angles to the axis of the casinganother bulb supported by the partition and at an angle to the firstbulb and in the other compartment, the two lenses included in the samecompartment being illuminable by a single bulb, a contact constructionfor the bulbs including an insulation plug, a contact bar carriedthereby and extending longitudinally thereof parallel to the casing axisthereof, for first mentioned bulb engagement, and a second contact barcarried by the plug and having its free end bent angularly of the otherbar for second bulb engagement, the lower portion of the casing havingan aperture therein for license plate illumination, and a lens for saidaperture, the inclined bulb being directed toward the last mentionedlens.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto afiixed my signature.

EDWARD C. ALBRIGHT.

